The sport of the rowing has long been recognized as an excellent form of exercise. One who engages in the sport of rowing can thoroughly exercise and develop his legs, back, shoulders, arms, and other areas of his body. But no jarring, pounding effect is imparted to the exercising individual's knees or other body parts, as may occur in running or in other sports.
Rowing machines have long been offered to provide the benefits of this rowing exercise to greater numbers of people, and in indoor locations. But many of these rowing machines provide the user with the benefits of rowing exercise to only a limited extent. Some rowing machines do not provide the user with body movement and effort which truly duplicate rowing activity. And some machines cannot be adjusted to properly accommodate the various strengths and sizes of different machine users.
Recently, rowing machines have been offered which incorporate digital electronic circuitry. These machines permit the exerciser to select any one of a range of levels of exercise difficulty, and they provide a limited amount of information to the machine user. Such rowing machines are now offered by the Universal Gym Equipment Company, P.O. Box 1270, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406 and by the AMF Volt Company, 3801 South Harbor Boulevard, Santa Ana, Calif. 92704.
Some known rowing machines have a drive system which includes a flywheel for preserving, in the form of angular momentum, energy put into the machine by the user. A resistance to the angular motion of the flywheel is provided to simulate, to a limited extent, the actual feel of rowing motion. The resistance in these machines is provided by an alternator or generator which is coupled to an electrical load resistor. As the rotational velocity of the alternator or generator increases, so does the resistance felt by the rowing machine user. In other words, the resistance provided by these machines is dependent on the speed at which the user is rowing. Such machines do not simulate the true feel of actual rowing motion.
Furthermore, some rowing machines do not provide a mechanism for controlling the rotational velocity of the flywheel. Thus, the feel of momentum sensed by the machine user cannot be adjusted on a controlled basis. Controlling the speed of the flywheel is desirable so that the beginning of a stroke will not be too easy for the user. It is also desirable that the user be able to select the amount of momentum he wishes to feel independently of the speed at which he chooses to row.
In addition, some rowing machines do not provide for the true sense of competitive scull racing. While some prior machines provide a rough indication of the user boat position in relation to a pacer boat, an accurate and visually interesting graphic display has not been provided.
It is accordingly the general object of the present invention to provide an exercise machine which can closely duplicate the activity, the resistive forces and the consequent feel of actual rowing or sculling activity.
Another general object is to provide a rowing machine in which the user can control the machine in order to modify the feel of momentum sensed in actual rowing so that the machine will have the proper feel to the user. A related object is to provide for such user control independently of rowing speed.
Still another object is to provide an exercise machine of the type described which provides an accurate and visually interesting graphic illustration of the progress and success of the exercising individual during the exercise program.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts.